


Abstract

by Renex



Series: Abstract Affection [1]
Category: Sally Face (Video Games)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Comfort, Comfort/Angst, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Hugs, Larry sees Sal's face, M/M, Nightmares, Self-Esteem Issues, Self-Hatred
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-05
Updated: 2019-01-05
Packaged: 2019-10-04 12:40:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17304815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Renex/pseuds/Renex
Summary: Nightmares, it was always the nightmares. Every single time that Sal Fisher would call or visit Larry at ungodly hours seeking some sort of comfort or just the mere presence of some other human being it was because of the nightmares.





	Abstract

**Author's Note:**

> **DISCLAIMER**  
> This is set in an AU! Sal and Larry's parents never get married and the whole headbanging, prosthetic flying off and hitting Larry scene never happened in this universe.  
> ****************
> 
> All of that asides, I had a lot of fun writing this and I can't wait to write more for these two.

Nightmares, it was always the nightmares. Every single time that Sal Fisher would call or visit Larry at ungodly hours seeking some sort of comfort or just the mere presence of some other human being it was because of the nightmares. They’d occasionally intrude his peaceful rest and force him into feelings of torment and horror. Larry would constantly insist he wasn’t affected by the constant visits at 3 AM, but the proof was in the pudding. It was in his deepening eye bags and his habit of always falling asleep during class. He couldn’t keep doing this to Larry just because he was pathetic. He hated how much he relied on the taller boy, but not as much as he hated how desperately he needed Larry right now.

This nightmare, in particular, hadn’t been too spectacular terror wised compared to ones he had previously had, yet somehow this managed to shake him up worse than any of them had. He wasn’t just scared, he was panicked. His dream had started off nice, and had it not taken such a harsh turn then perhaps he would have woken up warm and fuzzy. He had been back in his hometown in Jersey, surrounded by all of his friends, which admittedly made no sense but to be fair when were dreams ever actually sensible. Everything had been fine until somehow his prosthetic had fallen off and shattered. By god was he ugly, and for the first time, they all were able to see it for themselves and hell if they’d want to be anywhere near a broken freak. It was all too realistic for his liking and he woke up shaking real bad. 

The walkie-talkie shook furiously in his hand, tears falling through the eye holes of his prosthetic as he stared down onto the communication device. Part of him wished he could just press the damn button, the other part wished he would just throw it against the wall. He wanted to see Larry’s face, he wanted to hear his voice. He wanted some sort of validation or reassurance that the other boy wouldn’t hate him for what he looked like, not that he’d show him. His hands shook as his finger pressed down on the button that would send his words over to Larry, instantly regretting it as his voice came out in a shaky whisper. “Larry?” He quickly pulled his thumb off the button, his breath increasing rapidly as he silently prayed to himself that the other boy would be asleep or in the least didn’t hear. 

“Sally. What's up? Nightmare again?” The taller boy’s familiar voice buzzed through the gadget, sending Sal’s stomach up in knots. 

His heart felt like it was beating a mile a minute and his head spun as he picked up the walkie and threw it away from him, watching it bounce on the floor before coming to a stop as a wave of tears ran down his cheeks. 

“Sal?”

The boy jumped down from his bed and burst out of his bedroom towards the bathroom. His father was out for the night, so he wasn’t worried about keeping quiet. Although, he was in such a state of panic that either way he probably wouldn’t have had the ability to make the effort. He pulled open the bathroom door, flicking the light on and stumbling to the sink. His hands tore at his prosthetic, his fingers fumbling with the latches as he ripped it away from his face and sloppily threw it aside so he could look at himself. His eyes were puffy from crying and the tears had stained his face, although they were far from the most noticeable parts of his complexion. He wiped at the tears with the back of his hand, his breathing becoming heavier and labored from the growing lump in his throat. He was ugly. He was disgusting and foul and broken and no one who saw him would ever want to be around a freak like him. He turned the faucet before grabbing at a nearby towel and running it under the water. The water was splashing everywhere, although that could easily have been because the sink was faulty or his movements were so sporadic and shaky. He didn’t really care.

Once he began rubbing, he couldn’t stop. 

He rubbed and rubbed and rubbed at his face as if somehow it would erase all the scars and the missing chunk of his nose and everything he hid behind the mask. He rubbed until his skin felt raw, not that he could even register it in his current state. He couldn’t register anything but the strong need to continue to scrub away at his face. He didn’t register the front door opening, and he didn’t register the towel being yanked away from him or Larry’s presence until the boy had him wrapped up in a tight embrace. 

“Shhh. It’s okay. I’m here, Sal. I’m here. Just breathe and listen to my voice.” The taller boy’s fingers ran soothingly through his hair which pooled around his shoulders as he did his best to talk Sal down from his panic. “It’s okay. You’re okay.”

It took him a bit to ground himself as he sobbed into Larry’s shirt, fully aware that he was definitely soaking the front of the other boy’s clothing with his tears but also too afraid to pull away because that would mean revealing his face if Larry hadn’t already caught a glimpse of it.

“Sal-”

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” Sal kept on repeating himself, his hands gripping Larry’s shirt so hard he could swear his knuckles were turning white.

“Hey, Sal. It’s okay. Why are you sorry?” The other boy held him tighter, his head resting atop Sal’s.

“No, it’s not! I keep bothering you because I’m broken!” 

 

“You don’t bother me and you sure as hell aren’t broken-”

The smaller boy pushed himself away and out of Larry’s embrace, his eyes shining with tears as they met his friend’s. “Yes, I am! Look at me!” His body shook with uncontrollable sobs. “I’m Hideous!” Sal loosened his grip, his hands shaking as the taller boy continued to look at him without a word. He swallowed hard, his stomach dropping. His dream was right, Larry hated him now. The small boy’s voice came out as a soft whisper, his gaze averting slightly in embarrassment. “I know I’m gross but you don’t have to stare…”

“No, that’s not why I was staring-” Larry’s gaze refused to tear away from the other’s as he cupped Sal’s face gently, causing him to flinch at the unfamiliar touch. “Shoot- sorry.”

He looked up, his eyes meeting Larry’s. “No. It’s okay. I’m just not used to being touched is all.”

“Still, I shouldn’t have done that without asking.” Larry smiled softly, his eyebrows arching into a look of genuine concern. “Can I touch you?”

Sal shifted awkwardly, his hands digging into the fabric of his pajama pants. “I.. yeah.”

“Let me know if it makes you uncomfortable, okay?” The taller boy’s hand slowly moved back up to brush against Sal’s cheek, sending shivers all down his spine. No one but doctors and himself had ever touched his face and it felt really odd but comforting. Larry’s thumb gently traced a scar that ran along his cheekbone. “You’re not broken or hideous or all the other things you insist that you are. Sal, you’re…” Sal watched as the boy’s face turned up in a smile, his cheeks dimpling. “You’re fucking beautiful.”

“No, I’m not.” 

“Are you kidding? Sal, you’re literally gorgeous.” Larry’s hand moved to push Sal’s hair back out of his face, tucking it behind his ear. He felt his stomach flip, this time in a less horror-filled type of way, at the other boy’s words. “You may not see it yet and that’s fine. Not everyone’s a fan of Picasso’s work but that doesn’t mean it’s not there, they just cause they can’t see the beauty in abstract.” 

Sal’s eyes began watering again, his hands wiping away at his tears.

“Sal? Shit- I didn’t mean to make you cry!”

The small boy leaned into Larry’s chest, wrapping his arms tightly around his waist and burrowing his face into the other boy. “No- they’re happy tears. Thank you, Lar. I really appreciate it.”

“Oh. No problem, man. I was honestly just telling you the truth but I’m glad I could help.” The tall boy hugged Sal tightly. It would be a complete and utter understatement to say that Sal loved Larry’s hugs. He was pretty short, and his friend was a whole 6 inches taller than him. The way that his body completely engulfed him in warmth made his hugs feel safe. He felt as if there wasn’t a thing in this world that could harm him while being held by the other boy.

“Hey, Larry?”

“Yeah Sally Face?”

Sal smiled at the other boy’s use of the familiar nickname, tilting his head to the side so that he could hear Larry’s heartbeat against his ear. “I was wondering… could you… would you want to stay?”

“Like overnight?” Larry’s fingers combed through the small boy’s hair soothingly, and Sal couldn’t help but lean into the touch.

“Yeah. It’s just I’m scared I’ll have a nightmare again and… ya know.”

“Yeah, Sal. Of course, I’ll stay.”


End file.
